Heather Carpenter, MMNA

Nonprofit Manager, Researcher, Trainer and Blogger

Resources for your Nonprofit

Heather found these resources helpful when she was managing the day-to-day operations of her nonprofit. She provides resources to her students at John F. Kennedy University and the University of San Diego.

Forming a Nonprofit Organization: Getting Fiscal Sponsorship

    * List of Fiscal Sponsors
    * Fiscal Sponsorship Resources

Forming a Nonprofit Organization: Apply for 501c3 Status
    * How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation Book
    * Sample Business Plans
    * Nonprofit Specific Attorney
    * Nonprofit Specific Attorney
    * Sample Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation
    * Sample Conflict of Interest Policy
    * See if other nonprofits have the same name through Guidestar
    * Business Name Instructions and Filings for California
    * EIN Application
    * California Nonprofit Exemption Application
    * Federal Tax Exemption Application Form 1023
    * Form 1023 Help
    * Information about registering through the Attorney General's Registry of Charitable Trusts in California
    * Advanced Ruling Period Information

Managing Your Board of Directors
    * Board Matching Service
    * Board source: provides affordable how-to guides for board members and many board governance resources
    * The council on Quality and Leadership: provides a free guide to Developing and Supporting a Board of Directors.

Organizational Structure
    * How to Build an Organizational Chart

Hiring and Managing Staff and Volunteers
    * Resources for Human Resource Management
    * Nonprofit Human Resource Management Center
    * Daring to Lead Research Report by CompassPoint
    * Volunteer Center of East Bay
    * Idealist.org: Nonprofit Volunteer and Job Listing Site
    * Opportunity Knocks Nonprofit Job Listing Site
    * Young Nonprofit Professionals Network
    * Hands On Network Bay Area Volunteer Listing Site
    * Sample Nonprofit HR Policies

Fundraising and Development
    * The Foundation Center in San Francisco: provides fundraising resources, lists of foundations, grant writing workshops and more
    * Sample Grant Proposal Template
    * Top Corporate Philanthropists
    * Corporate Philanthropy Issue San Francisco Business Times (July Each Year)
    * Find local businesses
    * Government Funding
    * Government Funding
    * The Grassroots Fundraising Journal provides information about raising money through individual donors
    * Software Reviews Nonprofit Databases
    * A great online fundraising resource is Groundspring.org’s on-line Fundraising Handbook.

Ethics/Accountability/Risk Management

    * Independent Sector Panel on the Nonprofit Sector
    * Principles for Good Governance and Ethical Practice
    * SF Bar Association Volunteer Legal Services Program
    * Independent Sector Checklist for Accountability
    * Nonprofit Risk Management Center
    * Risk Planning
    * Legal Issues for Small Businesses and Nonprofit Agencies booklet
    * Computer Assisted Risk Evaluation Center
    * Insurance: Nonprofit Insurance Alliance of California
    * What Basic Insurance Should a Nonprofit Consider?
    * Lobbying Information for Nonprofits Alliance for Justice
    * Find your elected officials

Financial Management

    * Nonprofit Unified Chart of Accounts
    * Financial Leadership for Nonprofit Executives
    * Annual Planning for Your Nonprofit Annual Planning Tips for your Nonprofit

Marketing/Public Relations/Communications

    * World Hunger Year has produced a free media guide for nonprofits.
    * Marketing Communications consulting firm for nonprofit organizations.
    * The SPIN Project teaches you how to pitch to the media, and provides strategy and support throughout the pitching process. A great resource for creating a communications plan.
    * Cause Communications has a free Nonprofit Communications toolkit you can order through their website.

Setting up a Nonprofit Office

    * Northern California Community Loan Fund’s (NCCLF) Space Matching service
    * Nonprofit Centers, Multi-tenant Nonprofit Office Space
    * Free Furniture
    * Free Furniture
    * A great technology resource center.
    * Very, Very low cost software for nonprofit organization, as well as answers to many technology questions
    * Tech Soup Healthy and Secure Computing, handouts and technology planning templates
    * A free guide to Application Service Provider’s, Internet Services, and online software (including donation software)
    * Great free expert advice for purchasing any technology product.
    * Free Software!
    * Lists of Nonprofit Software
    * Nonprofit software reviews
    * Website design companies Radical Designs and Float Left
    * Nonprofits technology listservs: nten-discuss@groups.nten.org or npo-techies@lists.compasspoint.org
    * Aspiration

Planning
    * Sample business plans
    * Tech Soup provides technology planning resources
    * Annual Planning Calendar Template

General Resources
    * Bookmarks on Del.icio.us
    * General Nonprofit Resources on the web
    * General Nonprofit Resources on the web
    * General Nonprofit Resources on the web
    * A List of Nonprofit Related Blogs


Nonprofit Management Toolkits

  • Starting a Nonprofit Toolkit: Are you are really passionate about an issue and thinking about starting your own nonprofit--but don’t know where to begin? This toolkit provides a simple overview as well as practical resources for starting your own nonprofit organization.

  • Setting up a Nonprofit Office Toolkit: Are your ready to move away from your cramped space or your founder’s dining room and find a new office for your nonprofit? This toolkit provides resources and steps to guide you during your nonprofit’s office move.

  • Nonprofit Operations Toolkit: This toolkit provides practical steps and resources for established nonprofit organizations to run more effectively. The toolkit is broken into eight key operational areas which are critical to running the day-to-day operations of any nonprofit organization.

heathercarpenter@nonprofitalternatives.org
http://www.nonprofitalternatives.org

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